R1m Dettol donation helps establish Centre of Childhood Infectious Diseases

The vast majority of deaths in children under five can be attributed to a handful of communicable diseases [3] such as acute respiratory infections (colds, flu and ear infections) and diarrhoea. Tragically, while the majority of these deaths are preventable, childhood mortality rates in South Africa remain high.

'An urgent need for a large-scale public awareness education and awareness drive'

"Key to addressing and reducing South Africa's high childhood mortality rates is the establishment of specialised treatment units that provide comprehensive care to children suffering from these infectious diseases. In addition, there is an urgent need for a large-scale public awareness education and awareness drive that teaches South Africans that their hygiene has a direct bearing on their health and that poor hygiene kills," says Professor Shaheen Mehtar, chair of Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN).

The full R1m donation from Dettol South Africa to the Children's Hospital Trust, fundraiser for the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital and Paediatric Healthcare in the Western Cape, will go towards the building of a Centre of Childhood Infectious Diseases at the Hospital.

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